5 Easy Day Trips from Tokyo by Train

Tokyo day trips at a glance

Kamakura: temples and the coast

Under an hour by direct JR train, and the one trip with temples and sea in the same day. Start with the Great Buddha and Hasedera in Hase, then ride the Enoden west to Shichirigahama, the Kamakurakokomae crossing and Enoshima for sunset, in that order with no backtracking.

Our observation: the Enoden gets very crowded after 4pm, and the coastal stops are much quieter before noon. Do the coast early.

Kamakurakokomae is a working road in a residential area. Use the designated photography area the city has set up nearby, and do not take photos from the roadway.

Best for first-time visitors. Fares, temple hours and the full route are in our Kamakura day trip from Tokyo guide.

Hakone: hot springs and Mount Fuji scenery

The furthest and the most scenic. The Odakyu Romancecar reaches Hakone-Yumoto from Shinjuku in about 80 minutes, and most people then ride the loop: mountain train, cable car, ropeway, a boat across Lake Ashi, bus back.

The Hakone Freepass covers eight forms of transport there, including the ropeway and the boat. From Shinjuku it is 7,100 yen for adults and 1,600 yen for children, valid two days. The Romancecar seat costs 1,200 yen extra each way.

• Fuji is visible from Lake Ashi on clear days but often hidden by cloud. Treat it as a bonus, not the reason to go.
• The ropeway can suspend at short notice for volcanic activity or weather, with a replacement bus when it does.

A day trip works if you leave early. For an unhurried onsen it is the one worth an overnight, which the two-day pass suits.

Kawagoe: Edo streets on a relaxed half day

Kawagoe is nicknamed Little Edo for its Kurazukuri street of black clay-walled merchant warehouses, under the Toki no Kane bell tower. Kashiya Yokocho, the old sweet shop lane, is minutes away.

The Tobu Tojo limited express runs Ikebukuro to Kawagoe in about 30 minutes, and the Seibu Shinjuku and JR Kawagoe lines serve other stations in town, 30 to 60 minutes depending on where you start. The Kawagoe Discount Pass bundles the return trip with local buses.

Sweet potato is the local speciality, from chips to soft serve to beer. Best as a relaxed half day.

Yokohama: waterfront, Chinatown and families

The easiest of the five. The Tokyu Toyoko Line runs through onto the Minatomirai Line, so you leave Shibuya without changing trains: Minatomirai for the Red Brick Warehouse and harbour, Motomachi-Chukagai for Chinatown. JR from Tokyo Station works too.

Pick it when you want another city rather than temples or mountains. Yokohama Chinatown is the largest in Japan, and the waterfront walk to the Red Brick Warehouse is flat and pram-friendly.

With children, the Cup Noodles Museum is eight minutes on foot from Minatomirai or Bashamichi: 10:00 to 18:00, last admission 17:00, closed Tuesdays, 500 yen for adults and free for high school age and younger.

Our observation: go late afternoon. The harbour is best as the lights come on, and you are back in Tokyo the same night.

Mt Takao: forest an hour from Shinjuku

Real forest, 50 minutes to an hour from Shinjuku on a direct Keio Line train to Takaosanguchi. Pick it when you want greenery, not another town.

You do not have to climb. The cable car takes six minutes to the upper station, the chairlift twelve; both cost 490 yen one way and 980 yen return for adults, 250 and 500 for children. Yakuo-in temple is twenty minutes on foot from either top station, the summit a little further on a mostly paved trail.

• The chairlift closes earlier than the cable car, at 16:30 from May to November and 16:00 from December to April.
• Autumn foliage season is by far the busiest, and by far the prettiest.

Half a day covers the cable car, temple and view; a full day lets you walk up or take a longer trail down.

Which Tokyo day trip should you choose?

• Kamakura for a first trip out of Tokyo: temples, coast and a sunset in one day.
• Hakone for an onsen and the best chance of Fuji, if you start early or stay the night.
• Kawagoe for old Japan on a relaxed half day.
• Yokohama for family travel, a Chinatown dinner, or just an evening.
• Mt Takao for fresh air and a walk, riding most of the way up if you like.

Can you do these trips without a tour?

Yes, all five. Each is a normal train ride, and signage at the major stations is in English. Tap in with a Suica or PASMO, or an IC card in your phone wallet, and travel all day without buying tickets.

Buy a regional pass only if you will use it. The Hakone Freepass earns its price on the loop; elsewhere an IC card is simpler, unless you plan to ride local buses.

Staying connected on Tokyo day trips

Day trips work your phone hardest: changing train times, unplanned transfers, maps where the signs are Japanese only. Roaming often slows after a small daily allowance, exactly when you need it. See the Japan plans in the Japan SIM and eSIM collection.

Fixed Data

eSIM Japan

From RM25.00

Good for maps, train times, translation and photos across your Tokyo day trips.

• Choose 4, 7, 10 Days
• 12GB, 21GB, 30GB
• Full plan allowance usable for hotspot

View Plan

Unlimited Data

eSIM Japan Infinite Data

From RM26.90

Better if you upload video or stream through long travel days, with no balance to watch.

• Choose 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 15, 18, 21, 26 or 31 Days
• Infinite (Unlimited) High-Speed 5G data
• Hotspot capped
• Separate hotspot allowance by plan length

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Frequently asked questions